That Sweet Melody
by x0-vindicated-0x
Summary: Because everyone loves a wide variety of Venturi.


**I've been tagged. How exciting. **

**Here's the deal. If you get tagged, you have to write a short fic about ten random songs. Put your IPOD or library on shuffle, and get ready to write to whatever song comes up. Sounds pretty easy, but here's the thing; you only have until the end of the song to finish the drabble, and then it's onto the next one. **

**So here we go, kids! **

**By the way, I'm tagging;**

**jeytonlover**

**Infidi**

**Zuzzeroo**

**wish-upon-a-falling-star (hey, you said you wouldn't mind being tagged back!) **

**TemporaryInsanity76**

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**Song One: I'd do Anything- Simple Plan**

Derek watched her from a distance, just as he always did, when they were in school. It had been his own stupid idea that they keep their distance during school hours, so he wasn't sure why this was bugging him so much. Really, if he was the one refusing to come out about their relationship to the kids at school, how could he get angry with her when other guys tried to hit on her? He couldn't exactly tell them off for doing such a thing; she was a girl, and she was attractive; guys were going to hit on her, whether he liked it or not.

But there was nothing he could say to them without coming off like he was jealous, and that pretty much meant he was going to have to deal with the consequences of his own choices, even if that meant watching other guys hit on his girlfriend, right in front of him.

"So what do you say," he heard her most recent admirer suggest, winking at her as she struggled to press her back up against the lockers as far as she could, away from him. "Me and you, Friday night?"

Derek clenched his hands into fists, his teeth clenching together angrily. He wasn't going to react; he wasn't going to blow everything they had by letting his jealousy get the better of him. He was supposed to be the stronger one here, right?

"I know this real great party we could hit," he said, shrugging a shoulder casually as Casey pretended to be interested. He still managed to sense her boredom, and he laughed, shaking his head again. "Or we could go somewhere more private; I don't mind. That could work too, now that I think about it."

He winked again, but before Casey had a chance to even try to let him down easily, the guy was pressed up against the lockers, his shirt bunched within Derek's fist. Casey had stumbled backwards, away from the arguing boys, and she shook her head, her jaw dropping as she watched her boyfriend press the guy up against the lockers angrily.

"Derek?" she questioned, clearly shocked. "What're you-"

"Sorry dude," Derek said, ignoring her as he laughed bitterly, shrugging his shoulders. "She's not gonna be able to make that date Friday. She's already got one with me. If you've got a problem with that, you can take it up with me some other time. I've got no problem with introducing my fist to your face."

Without another word, he had pushed himself away from the guy, and led Casey down the hall, his arm around her waist. He ignored the whispers that he knew followed them, and before he could question it, he had shrugged, laughing as he led here away from the crowd.

"Screw appearances," he muttered, his voice amused as he held her tighter. "Don't you know? I'd do anything to be with you."

**Song Two: No You Hang Up, Shayne Ward**

"Come on," Derek laughed, struggling to pull his sweater on over his head with a phone clutched tightly in his hand. "I gotta go; I'm gonna miss my flight."

"Hey, you can hang up anytime," she reminded him, her voice teasing. "I'm testing your self-control."

"Can't you do it, for once?" he begged her, grabbing his wallet off the counter. "I always hang up first."

"Nuh-uh," she reminded him, a smirk creeping onto her features. "You've been in Alberta for three months now, at university. How many times have I had to hang up the phone?"

He could only laugh; she was right, and he knew it. He didn't have the willpower to hang up the phone on her anymore. Ever since he had moved to Alberta for university, the sound of her voice had been something that he missed incredibly each and every day. The phone calls that they shared every night were all that kept him sane, half the time. Hearing her voice relaxed him, and reminded him of everything he was holding out for, of everything that he was going to get back, once his term ended.

He supposed he could give in, just this once.

"Okay, fine," he laughed, shrugging his shoulders. "I'll hang up, but only 'cause I know it means I get to see you quicker."

He didn't wait for her to respond; he knew that hearing her voice again would zap all of the motivation out of him. Without another word, he had flipped his cellphone shut, and stored it in his back pocket, where it would be safe.

It was time to go home to Casey.

**Song Three: Sleepless Nights, Faber Drive**

Derek hadn't had a solid night's sleep in nearly two weeks, now. During the school year, Casey's idiot of a boyfriend, Max, had been almost tolerable. If she wasn't out with him every single night, there was no way she could get hurt as much.

But now that it was summertime, the two of them were out almost every single day, giving them more opportunity to get into arguments. Giving Max more chances to flirt with other girls, right in front of his girlfriend. And at the end of that day, Derek would always be forced to sit in his room and wait. Wait until he heard the front door close, and the sound of her keys hit the coffee table. He would wait to her reassure her mother that she was okay, and that it was the pollen outside getting to her allergies, that was making her eyes red like that.

And then he would wait for the knock on her door, the one that came every single night, regardless. And, despite the fact that he wanted to make her see what an idiot Max was, he would always attend to her needs. He would always open the door and let her in. He would let her fall against his chest and cry. He would allow her to curl up next to him on his bed, and fall asleep. He wouldn't say a word against Max. He would tell her it would be okay, he would smooth her hair away from her face, but he would never utter a word about Max. If this was what Casey wanted, he wouldn't stand in the way.

He would put up with that asshole, if only it meant the girl he loved was with the guy she wanted to be with.

Regardless of the consequences.

**Song Four: Don't Let Me Get Me, Pink**

She woke up to find the rest of the family gone. The house was empty, and there was no note, but she knew what to do. Saturday mornings would always be like this. Edwin would be at basketball practice, Lizzie would be at karate class, and her parents would be gone about their business as usual, visiting Derek or Casey in Toronto, or else running errands.

Marti Venturi was used to being the one left home alone. She was used to having to watch her stepsister and her brother come home and brag about how their team had won another championship, or how they had won team MVP. She was sick of George and Nora coming home and bragging over how Casey had made honour roll again, or how Derek had scored the most goals in the hockey tournament, hands down. She loved her siblings, but where was _her_ praise? When would someone finally stand up, and acknowledge that she had talent too?

Nobody ever took notice of the many sketchbooks she left out around the house, sometimes on purpose. Nobody had thought to attend the art exhibit that she had won first place in. George hadn't even commented on her beautiful painting, the one she had worked so hard to make him for his birthday, last year.

Nobody ever noticed Marti Venturi. She was the thirteen year old family reject. And so, until such a time that she earned said respect, she would wake up every Saturday morning, and clean up the house. She would do the chores that her siblings had abandoned. She would call her brother and her stepsister, and congratulate them on their most recent achievements. She would pat Edwin and Lizzie on the back when they came home with yet another award, and she would pretend like she didn't mind being completely invisible.

**Song Five: Spring Nicht (Don't Jump), Tokio Hotel**

Casey felt the cool air whipping around her, the feeling sending chills up and down her spine. Her hair swirled around her neck in a careless manner, and she knew it would tangle later. What did she care? If she could just summon up the courage to take that one extra step towards the edge... towards pure and total vindication... she wouldn't have to worry about such trivial things, ever again. If she could just gather that little bit of courage, and force herself over the edge...

Unwillingly, Derek's face flashed into her mind. God, how she missed him. He had been dead almost six months now, after a horrifying car crash had taken his life away... had taken _her_ life away. There wasn't a day that went by that she didn't wake up hoping to find his arms around her, hoping that the whole thing had been some horrible nightmare. There wasn't a single night that she fell asleep, just hoping to hear the gentle whisper of 'I love you' against her ear, like she had heard for three years straight, since they were eighteen years old. There wasn't a single tear that rolled down her cheek that would pass without wishing he would be there to wipe it away, and tell her it would all be okay.

Tears escaped her eyes, and she stepped up onto the ledge of the building, glancing down at the unsuspecting city of Toronto beneath her. She was on the roof of the apartment building that she had lived in for two years now. The building where she had shared so many memories with Derek, with the love of her life. She could feel the wind whipping against her face, against the tears that were staining her cheeks. The chill it brought to her was almost painful, but she couldn't find it in her to care, as she placed a hand over her stomach, feeling nausea wash over her.

And that was when she felt it. She felt a slight thump against her hand, and as her breathing hitched in her throat, she found herself stumbling backwards, away from the edge of the building. Away from death. Away from anything that would take the life of hers and Derek's unborn baby.

He was gone, but he would not choose this for her. He would not wish her to end her own life, regardless of his own death. He would want her to stay strong for him, for her, and for the life of their child.

**Song Six: It's Not Me It's You, Prozzak**

Derek glared at the cellphone in his hand, willing it to explode. How he loathed that stupid thing. How many nights, since he had started university, had he gotten a phone call from his most recent girlfriend, telling him the exact same thing, over and over? Sure, he had been the next best thing to a celebrity in high school; the girls had been all over him. There had been a certain appeal to him back then, something that girls had never been able to resist.

But something had changed, when he moved to Toronto for university. He still went through girls like paper, true, but the breakups were never self-initiated. He could normally make it through one or two dates smoothly, and he would usually figure that this would be different, and that he was doing something right, this time.

But he had never made it past a third date without hearing those five little words, the ones that kept him awake at night, just wondering what the hell he had supposedly done.

He stared down at the text message that his most recent girlfriend, Kara, had sent him the night before, after he'd dropped her off from their second date.

"It's not me, it's you."

Derek shook his head, his teeth clenching together as he tossed the device down onto the coffee table, pushing his chair back.

"Stupid girls."

**Song Seven: I'll Be Missin' You, Diddy ft. Faith Evans**

He rolled over in his bed, staring out the window at the Toronto skyline just past his bedroom. Somewhere across that city, across the thousands of lights that met his eyes right now, was his entire life. He stared out across the city every single night, wondering just what she was doing. Was she sleeping? Was she curled up against _his_ chest, now? She had left a year ago; he should've been over this by now. She had made her choice, and she had chose to leave him, and go back to her ex-boyfriend, Jamie. He knew that Jamie was the one she wanted to be with, but yet a small part of him wouldn't let go. A small part of him wondered if she still felt anything for him.

It should be illegal to miss someone like this. He felt as though someone had ripped his heart from his chest, like someone had taken a whole piece of him away. He felt like someone had died. Like a part of _him_ had died.

But he was wrong. It wasn't like she was dead, right? He could move on from this. She had found someone new, and so could he, right?

Wrong.

He would never find anyone new, at least, not just yet, not while he was holding on so tightly to the past, to the ghost of what had once been. Until he had given up all hopes of her returning to him, of her feelings changing ,he would never be able to move on enough to find anyone new.

And until then, Edwin Venturi would lie in bed every single night, and stare out across the Toronto skyline, hoping, praying... that maybe she was thinking of him, too. He would never allow his eyes to wander from the engagement ring she had tossed down on the day she had left him for another man. He would pretend as though that day had never happened, as though she was still right next to him.

And it was his delusion, his refusal to admit that she was gone, that would cause him to smile, and utter four little words, right before he fell asleep.

"I love you, Lizzie."

**Song Eight: Crazy, KC & JoJo**

Derek was pacing his room for what felt like the hundreth night in a row. Every now and then, he would run his hand through his hair carelessly, though the brown strands would always fall back in front of his eyes, as though he'd never shifted them in the first place. He didn't bother to fix them, and to be honest, he didn't even take notice of the way his hair looked all frazzled- sort of like some mad scientist, who's experiment had gone horribly wrong.

Well, at least he had the mad part down.

He was going insane thinking about her, since what had happened two weeks ago. He could still feel her lips against his, feel her hands knotting through his hair. He could feel the fabric of her black tank top clutched beneath his fists. He could feel his back pressed against the wall, feel his lips moving against hers... so amazing, so right.

He had to get his mind off of her. He had gone out with four girls since that day, in hopes of getting a certain stepsister off of his mind. But no matter how many times he kissed other girls, his mind would always float back to that day in her bedroom, when he had finally snapped, and kissed her.

And he knew his mind wouldn't rest until he kissed her again. He wished she would just _talk _to him, even. But she had skillfully been avoiding him since that day in her bedroom, and she was showing no signs of giving up, yet.

"Dammit, Casey," he murmered, as he let out a breath, and stared at the wall that seperated their bedrooms. "You drive me crazy."

**Song Nine: Too Little Too Late, JoJo**

Casey watched as Derek walked down the hallway, flaunting his newest girlfriend to his right. Her arm was linked with his happily as she flipped her long blonde hair out behind her, letting out an unrealistic giggle. Casey felt anger bubble up in her as she watched Derek smirk, and unlink his arm from hers, so that he could slip his arm around her waist. His eyes met with Casey's purposely as he came to a stop by Sam and Ralph, who had been standing about five feet away from Casey's locker. He engrossed himself in a little chat with the other boys, but she knew that he was paying no attention to them.

Every few moments, his eyes would flicker to his ex-girlfriend, the one that he had kept hidden from the rest of the school for four months, until she had finally gotten fed up, and called it quits.

To be honest, she had figured that, if he really cared, the threat of leaving would've been enough to make him give in. She had been hoping for him to give into her demands, and just tell everyone else, like she had wanted to do all along.

She guessed that he didn't care as much as she had thought he did. He'd laughed off her threats, and he hadn't even flinched when she tossed back every single present he'd ever given her. His only response to her burning his precious hoodie had been that he had never much liked that sweater anyways.

And at the first available opportunity, he had thrown himself back into the dating game, head first. He had gone through fifteen girls since him and Casey had broken up, five weeks ago. He was averaging at three dates a week, and she had a feeling the number would only keep growing.

"You ready, babe?"

Casey felt a hand gripping her elbow, and she turned slightly to see her current boyfriend, Noel, smiling down at her, pure affection in his eyes. He had always been so good to her, and it had been easier than she had anticipated to make the transition from friend, to girlfriend, with him. At the time, she had only been trying to make Derek jealous, in hopes that he would come back to her.

But they had been together for three weeks now, and she had to admit that she actually had genuine feelings for him, now. He would never replace Derek, but at least he treated her right.

So, putting on her best smile, she nodded her head, and grabbed onto Noel's hand, brushing past Derek with just as big of a smirk on her face. Derek didn't say a word as her shoulder brushed against his, but she saw the hurt flicker through his eyes, just like it always did when he saw her with Noel.

She had never saw much reasoning behind his pain, but today, it occured to her that maybe she had underestimated Derek. Maybe he cared alot more than she had thought.

But hey, she wasn't going to be the one waiting on him forever.

**Song Ten: Addicted, Simple Plan**

He watched her flick her long brown hair over her shoulder as she laughed along with the rest of her friends, by one of the cheerleader's lockers. It was her morning routine, to stand around and pretend to find the things that they said funny. He knew her better than that, and he knew that she really didn't find the cheerleaders to be all that interesting. But nonetheless, it secured her popularity, and even Casey wanted to fit in, and be accepted by those around her.

He hated that she was pretending to be someone she wasn't... but God, that cheerleading uniform looked amazing on her. Noel hated to be held up to the same standards as guys like Max, or Derek, but she was absolutely stunning in a short skirt. Sure, she had been beautiful in that dress she'd worn for the play, but a skirt... that was hot.

Of course, her newfound popularity had driven a wedge between the two of them. He couldn't remember the last time they'd hung out. Hell, he couldn't remember the last time they'd talked. She was always busy with practice, or catching up on her school work, or hitting parties with much cooler, much more acceptable boys.

But that didn't drive him away, no. He would always be here, watching, waiting for the chance to make a move.

Yes, Casey McDonald was his drug, and he was addicted.

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**Well this has been fun. Hehe. Review, friends. And if I tagged you, I can't wait to see if you do it or not! **


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